Noble six build - no bondo. Doing one piece per day

[Charlieiscool12]

Heres my project to do before dragon*con. Its a noble six build. Im planning on pepping a piece a day then hardening and painting them all in 3 days.
Noobs please read this next part, its very important. What I have discovered from watching all of the builds on the forums is that bondo does not matter. The paint job is what really matters. This build uses no bondo, and I think you will be surprised with how my pieces look. only a thigh, and a hand plate are completely done, but i will post pictures.

Bondo is a disease. it's a pain, and it leaves a lot of imperfections, even with spot putty. People who take a pictures of you at conventions will be standing at least 5 feet away. at this distance, your suit looks flawless, so dont stress. I hope this encourages some to kick bondo to the curb.

 

[GarzakAzur]

Your piece look good, but I do not agree with you for the bondo. In the right and bondo is just awesome.

Pat

 

[Sgt Forge]

Great peps! I wanted to try a Noble Six build before the end of the year. But i agree with GarzakAzur, i built an ODST that was completely just pep and i SOO wish i bondoed it, cause i went to a con and i couldnt sit down or anything cause it would crush my parts.

 

[Flyerfye]

Good stuff so far. Not using bondo is fine for chunky square-ish pieces, however I'm interested to see how your helmet turns out without it.

 

[GarzakAzur]

Same for me. Im currently updating my ODST (you can see it, it my avatar) and Im doing Bondo all over the piece. I regret to not have do done it before, because now half of my piece are broke.

Pat

 

[Flyerfye]

Okay, so just for clarification; you ARE using fiberglass (or something else) on the inside as a hardener, correct? And you are just eschewing Bondo for outside smoothing details? (I know your thread says you plan to harden your pieces, I just want to make sure everyone else in the thread gets it.)

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

I wish I used A LOT more bondo on my helmet. Like, I probably put 2 pounds into it, but those polygons still kinda show up, instead of a great round dome.

I can understand not using it on boxy pieces, but do use it on your helmet.

And, a fiberglassed piece should be strong enough to sit on.

 

[Dagger06]

I would say that a good paint job can cover up a LOT of flaws. The number of people who chalk up my rough ODST costume to intentional battle damage is good evidence of that.

I would not say that bondo is unneeded though. As people mentioned, for pieces that should be round, like most helmets, bondo is probably the best method of smoothing it out. I would argue that higher quality costumes definitely benefit from not being polygonal in appearance, whether it's a result of bondo or being clay sculpted.

That being said, your pieces are looking good and I'm sure they'll come out great! And I think you can get away without bondoing the reach helm and avoiding a overly polygonal appearance. The trick would be to be strategic with where folds go in your pep file so it's in natural places and to make sure you reinforce everything appropriately so it doesn't warp. Best of luck! Definitely an interesting premise.

 

[Charlieiscool12]

Bondo should be used in some cases like the iron man and parts that need to be really smooth, but this armor doesn't need any of that. they are all really smooth files anyway. I beleive that the helmet should turn out fine. And for clarification. No bondo AT ALL has touched or will touch my pieces.
I'm slushcasting smoothcast 320 inside to harden my pieces. They get as hard as a fuberglassing. My meathod is completely non toxic. That's one of the reasons I don't like bondo. It's hard to get it right with a resirator.

 

[Road Kill]

the armor is going good so far but i too would rather use bondo

 

[Minkyboi]

That's one of the reasons I don't like bondo. It's hard to get it right with a resirator.

just wondering, what do you mean by it being too hard to get right with a respirator?

 

[MrTiKi]

So no resining the outside straight up smooth-on on the inside?

 

[Dagger06]

I would agree after looking at the reach helm, that the file is definitely smooth enough to pull off without bondo. And if you're slushcasting with plastic, you can basically sand away and polygon-ish shapes you don't want showing, as long as you have a thick enough coat so it stays strong.

 

[Devious]

Or you can rondo, which Is a tad cheaper.

 

[Dagger06]

If he's trying to avoid respirators and fumes it wouldn't make much sense for him to deal with rondo though. =P

 

[MikyVengeance]

looks great
how did you get those black smudges on your thigh piece?

 

[Charlieiscool12]

Alright I'll go down the list...
@minkyboi I find that using a respirator hinders the quality of my work, so that's what I meant.

@mrtiki Yup, I just smoothon the inside. No resin on the outside or anything.

@trooper0621, I dont sand through the paper at all. It leaves a rougher surface than what I like

@devious the purpose of this build is to not use any toxic materials and to show that it still can look great.

@mikyveangence spray some flat black spraypaint onto a paper towel, then smudge it on the piece. I can post a video if you want. The weathered looks great and covers up imperfections

 

[MikyVengeance]

thanks
that's exactly why I wanted to know haha

 

[kupokitty]

Please say you at least have proper ventilation while painting.

 

[Charlieiscool12]

Lol. Glad I could help. Your armor is looking great

yes, all my painting and hardening is done outdoors. I've taken all the precautions.